Thursday, April 22, 2010

Suspect charged in Avalon Park police shooting

A motorist who pointed a handgun at officers prompting police to fire shots at him has been charged after the Tuesday night incident in the Avalon Park neighborhood.

Derrick Thornton, 24, of the 9400 block of South Forest Avenue, was charged with aggravated assault to a police officer with a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon on a person, according to a release from police News Affairs. He was also issued a citation for going the wrong way on a one-way street, the release said.

About 9:15 p.m., uniformed Gresham District officers saw a motorist commit a traffic violation in the 8600 block of of South Drexel Avenue, according to police News Affairs Officer Amina Greer.